Hurricane Debby
Hurricane Debby (also known as The Cozumel Disaster) was a strong Category 5 hurricane that occured in the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Debby is most well known for destroying the entire island of Cozumel, Mexico. A moderately sized storm, Debby began as a typical tropical wave moving over the Main Development Region (MDR) in mid-August 2024. The 2024 season did not feature many MDR storms due to high shear. Debby moved over the Lesser Antilles as a category one hurricane. Proceeding to rapidly intensify, Debby became a category five hurricane twice and a category 4 hurricane four times. After Debby's pass through the Antilles on August 26, the storm moved through the Caribbean, causing significant damage to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Debby reached peak intensity at 00z on September 2 when winds reached 175mph and pressure got down to 910 mbs. Debby made landfall on Cozumel Island on September 3, causing tides to rise that flooded the island. On top of the floods, Debby destroyed every structure on the island, damage comparable to Julia of 2022 in the Miami. Debby proceeded to cause tremendous damage in the Mexican states of Quintana Roo and Yucatan. The Gulf surprisingly weakened Debby down to a category three however it re-strengthened to a category 4 before landfall between the southern tip of Florida and Chokoloskee. Luckily, the storm hit the Everglades National Park where no residents were residing at the time. In turn, the storm moved over the southern part of Florida and caused major structural damage in Miami and surrounding areas. Close to 20 people lost their lives and nearly a million went without power. Debby at this point lost all characteristics besides wind speed. The WHC kept the storm tropical as it stalled and weakened over the Bahamas. On September 6, Debby was declared post-tropical by the WHC and the storm dissipated over the Bahamas, causing general showers. Damage from Debby racked up to nearly $3.5 billion dollars, mostly due to structure loss in Cozumel and Miami. Cozumel Island was completely decimated and no longer stands. The loss of Cozumel as affected Mexico's tourism as Cozumel was one of the hottest tourist destinations. Most buildings and neighborhoods by the ocean were unrecognizable in Miami, damage comparable to Andrew of 1992. Most areas had not recovered from Julia just two years prior. In Cozumel and surrounding areas, nearly a thousand people went missing and over 50 died. In Miami, about 20 people died. Meteorological History A very vicious tropical wave was moving through the Atlantic, typical for this time of the year. The tropical wave quickly developed before reaching the Antilles. The area skipped depression state and jumped to become Tropical Storm Debby. Debby continued to develop and twelve hours later became Hurricane Debby. Debby made landfall in Dominica late on August 26, the same day as Debby's formation. The landfall weakened Debby none as it became a category two. Pressure was dropping rapidly. Just an advisory after Debby became a category two, it was now a category three, making it the first major of the season. Despite the pressure dropping, Debby's windspeed began to drop a tiny bit, now it was back to a category two. Debby stayed a category two for eighteen hours before recon planes flew in and found strong major hurricane-force winds. These winds were borderline category four when the WHC issued the advisory that put Debby as a category three. The next advisory, however, had Debby push the category four mark, the first since Julia of 2022. Debby stayed a strong category four for eighteen hours and fears began to rise about the possibility of a category five. These fears became reality, on August 29 at 1400Z, it became a category five. Debby stayed a category five hurricane for 36 hours before weakening back to a category four. Another 36 hours went by while Debby went under an eyewall replacement cycle. The cycle ended and Debby was a category five again. Debby was a category five for another day and three-quarters. On September 3, Debby made landfall on Cozumel Island and completely "deleted" the island from existence. Debby proceeded to weakened to a category three over the Gulf but strengthened to a category four again as it made landfall in South Florida. The southern tip of Florida was ruined by Debby just two years after Julia. Debby went on to the Bahamas where it weakened. Debby caused multiple floods to many of the islands. On September 6, Debby was declared post-tropical. Preparations and Impacts Lesser Antilles Dominica The island took notice of the oncoming chance of a tropical cyclone. The government took a day off. Schools and businesses were closed. However, the brunt of the storm came in that night. A few trees were downed and electrical lines fell. Minimal damage to most structures. Guadalupe Multiple Guadalupe businesses were closed due to Debby. Most bays and ports were also closed. ---- Jamaica Many Jamaicans chose to stay and ride out the storm due to the fact Debby's cone did not include Jamaica. However, many Jamaican schools and businesses shut down in the wake of Debby. Debby caused major damage along the southern side of the island. Lots of damage was dealt in the city of Portmore, just outside of Kingston. Tides roaring in caused damage along the beaches and inlets. Many trees were knocked down from the strong winds and surge. Power went out for most of the island, including downtown Kingston. Minor flooding occurred, but only minor due to the fact that Debby was a fast moving storm. ---- Cozumel Cozumel had been in the cone everyday that the cone was up. Mayor of Cozumel, Santiago Emigdio, issued a voluntary evacuation on August 31, right after Debby had been downgraded back to category 4. The next day, September 1, mandatory evacuations were issued after the WHC issued an advisory suggesting that Debby could become a category 5 once more. Curfew was set for September 2 to be 7pm for those who did not evacuate. Government offices, schools, businesses, hotels, gas stations, any and all between were closed. The island was on shutdown. During the evacuations of Debby on September 1, the clouds began to move in. It was not until September 2 when tropical storm force winds moved upon the island. Through the day, winds increased, clouds gathered, seas became rough. This was the island's last day. The night of September 2, all hell broke loose when major hurricane force winds plowed the island and caused significant damage. At around midnight local time, the eye moved over the small island, bringing a break in the rain. The back side of Debby was what brought the worst of the storm. During the day on September 3, every structure on Cozumel was completely destroyed and most of it washed up onto the coast of Quintana Roo. The island then flooded till nothing remained. Thousands of people were displaced and missing while fifty people died. ---- Florida Governor Trock Warren declared state of emergency and a voluntary evacuation for Broward, Collier, Hendry, Lee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Palm Beach counties in the wake of Debby . On September 2, Warren upgraded the evacuations to mandatory after the aforementioned counties were put under hurricane warnings. Roads were jammed packed with drivers from the surrounding areas. Those who stayed were welcomed to shelters in safe places from the storm. On September 4, tropical storm and hurricane force winds moved into the Everglades area, causing severe damage to most of the trees. Homes near Fort Myers reported major damage during this time, mostly from flooding and wind damage. That night, Debby made its second official landfall in the Everglades National Park as a category 4 hurricane. Hurricane force winds began to reach the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area, causing major damage to buildings and homes. At daybreak on the 5th, what was left of the eye moved over Miami, not causing much of a break. During the day on the 5th, Debby exited the coast of Florida and moved over the Bahamas. ---- The Bahamas The Bahamas were put on high alert as Debby approached Florida. There was uncertainty in the forecast as it depended on whether or not Debby survived the passage through Florida. Voluntary evacuation for those who could catch a flight or find a boat to leave the chain of isles. Debby began a weakening trend after it came off Florida. The storm entered Bahamian waters as a category 2 hurricane and was expected to weaken more. There was moderate damage done to the northern islands and light damage and flooding to the central islands. Retirement The World Meteorological Organization decided to retired the name Debby in the Spring of 2025. In 2030, the name Desiree was used. See also *Hurricane Wilma - Another strong major hurricane that affected Cozumel. *Hurricane Emily (2005) - Made landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula.